Story of the English National Cross Country Championships

The oldest cross country event in the world returns to its spiritual home at Parliament Hill this Saturday (21 Feb). spikesmag.com takes a look at the historic English ‘National.’

It may have made an inauspicious start but few events in athletics capture the magic or have the rich history of the English National Cross Country Championships.

The inaugural senior men’s event, which took place at Buckhurst Hill in 1876, turned into farce as all 32 runners took the wrong course and the race was declared void. Yet, thankfully, organisers were not dissuaded from running the event the following year and, barring the First and Second World Wars years, the senior men’s race has continued uninterrupted.

The event has been won by some of the all-time greats of English endurance running – the legendary Alfred Shrubb, who broke 28 world records at the beginning of the 20th century, was a four-time winner from 1901-4.

Former world miler record holder ‘The Mighty Atom’ Sydney Wooderson showed his versatility by winning the 1948 ‘National’ while the 1970s witnessed victories for former World 10,000m record holder David Bedford and 1976 Olympic 10,000m bronze medallist Brendan Foster.

Yet for all this cast list of impressive past winners, perhaps more revealingly some of the all-time global greats tried but failed to win national titles.

Steve Cram, Steve Ovett, Seb Coe and Dave Moorcroft are all missing the crown form their bulging CVs – although Ovett did take the junior title in 1975.

The women’s senior race was first held in 1927. Paula Radcliffe was a former winner 15 years ago and Mara Yamauchi, the sixth placed finisher in the marathon at the Beijing Olympics, was champion in 1998.

This year – the 122nd running of the ‘National’ – returns to its spiritual home of Parliament Hill. The area of open land in North West London on the south of Hampstead Heath has become closely associated with cross country running and this is the 11th time it has staged the event in the past 52 years.

The sight of around 1500 runners charging up the hill at the beginning of the race remains an iconic image and English Cross Country Association secretary Ian Byett is in no doubt as to the significance of Parliament Hill.

"It is the Wembley of cross country running," he explains. "You’ve got an interesting climb from the start and you don’t have too many races that start by the side of a hill. There is also a great history to the place beyond cross country running... it's a testing run, up and down all the way."

The event attracts more than 8000 entries for the ten races – men’s and women’s senior, junior, under-17, under-15 and under-13 – and more than 300 clubs have entered the men’s 12km senior race alone.

Nonetheless, because the race no longer doubles as the trial for the World Cross Country Championships – because England now compete as part of a united Great Britain team for the event – some believe the event has lost its lustre.

Byett, argues however, that the ‘National’ remains an attractive target.

"It is still a very classic cross country event I always look forward to it every year," he explained. "Though it’s not taken quite so seriously, people still say they want to win the National."

But for all its past does Byett have an all-time favourite memory?

"I remember David Moorcroft [the former world 5000m record holder] missed the start at Parliament Hill in 1981 because he was still taking his tracksuit off when the gun went. He was last up the first hill but he passed the whole field except for three and finished fourth."

spikesmag.com spoke to two former winners about their ‘National’ memories...

Eamonn Martin
Former British 10,000m record-holder and 1993 London Marathon winner twice won the senior men’s ‘National’ in 1984 and 1992

Is the race still important now?
EM: It certainly was in my day because it was the trial [for the World Cross Country Championships] as well. The event also has a lot of history, look at all the athletes that have won it.

Where did winning the ‘National’ rank in your career achievements?
EM: When I won it the first time it was my highest achievement by quite a bit. It probably later went down a bit because I broke the British 10,000m record, won the Commonwealth 10,000m title. It would still rank in the top ten.

What was your favourite memory?
EM: Winning it in 1984. It was a real breakthrough. I broke away from Roger Hackney in the last 400m, so I could enjoy the last few hundred metres.

Richard Nerurkar
The 1993 World Cup marathon winner claimed three ‘National’ victories in 1990-91 and 1993

Why is the ‘National’ such an important event? 
RN: It’s got so much history. Every great British distance runner has competed there. Also, it’s a great club event and where would any of us have got to without clubs?

Where does winning the ‘National’ rank in your career highlights? 
RN: My first National win in 1990 at Roundhay Park, Leeds was one of my career highlights. It represented a big breakthrough for me. Plus it was on my home patch, so to speak, and I still remember watching Bernie Ford winning there back in 1978 when I was a schoolboy.